"You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity."

-Epicurus

Knock, Knock, Knock, "Amy?"

Knock, Knock, Knock, "Amy?"

Knock, Knock, Knock, "Amy?"

Sheldon waited patiently on the other side of Amy's apartment, clutching the neatly stapled document within his hands. He heard Amy's feet shuffling to get to the front door and all of a sudden he became tense.

At the end of their encounter today, Sheldon and Amy might revert back to their previous boy-slash-friend-slash-girl-slash-friend status or leave on unfriendly terms. He was hoping to stay friends. If they didn't, surely he'd miss all the time they spent together, but Sheldon had to make the necessary changes he felt that he needed.

It wasn't long until Amy greeted him and stepped to the side, letting Sheldon in. Sitting on the middle of the couch, he watched as Amy shut the door close and made her way to the seat right next to him. They stayed quiet for a moment, the only sound was the ticking clock on the wall. Sheldon noticed Amy's eyes peering at his papers and before he could speak, Amy had broken the unpleasant silence between them.

"Why were you in Texas all week?"

He gulped and fiddled with his hand. "Meemaw had fallen ill and I had to fly to Texas immediately."

"Is she alright?"

Sheldon sighed and tried to hide the pain in his eyes. "I am certain that she is not suffering anymore. She passed away days after I arrived."

"Oh, no. Sheldon why didn't you tell me? Are you in need of a hot beverage or a comforting hug?" Amy offered with the slight hope of hugging her boyfriend.

He shook his head. "That won't be necessary but I appreciate your concern. I did not tell you because you were too occupied with that symposium in San Diego. You talked about how important it was and that would distract you."

Amy frowned. "Well, thank you I guess. So, did you make someone else go with you or did you fly over there alone?"

"Penny came along," Sheldon simply said.

She raised a brow. "Penny? Is she that blonde?"

"Yes, that is Penny," Sheldon answered as he showed a small smile, but wiped it away before Amy could take note of it. "I have a matter to discuss with you."

"It's about our relationship, isn't it?" Amy said, pointing at his copy of the Relationship Agreement. "Is there a problem?"

Sheldon shifted awkwardly in his seat, setting the document down on the coffee table. He looked to Amy who seemed to be confused. "I hereby invoke Section 6 Clause 30 of the agreement."

Amy stared at him and furrowed her brow. "What? I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong I can assure you."

"Then why are you breaking up with me?" Amy's voice cracked in the middle.

"Clause 30 states that the relationship may be dissolved if either party has lost the desire to continue on. I harbor no romantic feelings for you, Amy, and I wish to revert back to our original boy-slash-friend-slash-girl-slash-friend status. You are still welcome to dinner at the apartment and attending future symposiums with us, but we will not have any more date nights or unnecessary touching."

Amy abruptly stood up. "What happened that made you come to this decision?"

He couldn't lie. Sheldon knew he had the inability to deceit and if he did tell her the real reason why, Amy would be more than angry with him. His eye started to twitch uncontrollably and his palms became sweaty. Amy was still waiting for a response and asked Sheldon her question once more. A full minute passed by and Sheldon had to come clean. "I like Penny."

"Of course you do. She's your friend!" Amy stated. She lowered her stance once she realized what he really meant. "You want to break up with me because you have feelings for Penny?"

Sheldon answered her with quietness and Amy began to traipse back and forth in the living room. "I apologize, Amy, for the distress that I have brought upon you-"

"I love you and you're doing this to me? I can't believe this!" She interjected. "Sheldon, please tell me this is some bazinga."

"It's not, Amy. Now, if you'll please sign here."

She huffed. "You can't be serious right now. What's so special about her that made you like her? I'm the best girlfriend you're going to have and you're willing to throw away everything we have for that blonde?"

"Penny cares for and understands me," Sheldon simplified.

Amy flailed her arms. "I do, too!"

Sheldon slowly got up from the couch. "If you did then you wouldn't have abandoned me when I had little to no knowledge about who I was! I was clueless and you were more concerned about yourself and this relationship than my own well-being! I felt so alone and Penny was the only one that I could trust. I like her because she's not trying to mold me into becoming someone I am not and she accepts me."

"But you hate change! I can't see anyone else putting up with your routines and idiosyncrasies but me. I do so much yet you do not appreciate me enough for it," Amy cried out. "I could have drove back to Pasadena to be with you when your Meemaw died, Sheldon. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you ignore me the past week? I was worried sick about you and I couldn't get a hold of your friends!"

"Amy, I do apologize for that. The truth is that I was more comfortable with Penny coming with me since she is my best friend."

"But I'm your girlfriend!"

Sheldon had no words to say afterwards. He really wasn't sure why he had told Penny and Penny only. Amy did deserve the right to know since they signed an agreement together but after Amy abandoned him and came back when he returned to normal changed something. But thinking about it now, Sheldon wouldn't have changed a thing. Because of his actions, he and Penny were about to start a relationship and love each other freely. He did regret being the cause for Amy's distress but this was what he needed to do.

"You have to let Penny go, Sheldon. She's making too many changes in your life and it's causing you to think differently. Do you even appreciate me?"

"I do appreciate you for the things you do, and Penny looks past all of my quirks that seems to annoy everyone else. I also dislike the fact how you push me into having a physical relationship. If hand holding and kissing is already uncomfortable for me, imagine how coitus would make me feel. Amy, you need someone that is willing to share those experiences with you."

"There are other men out there that will love you the same way how you love me. I am confident that you'll find him and your dreams of getting married, settling down, and having children will become fulfilled," Sheldon explained and Amy took off her glasses to wipe her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. "That future seems unlikely for us."

He hesitantly placed his hand behind Amy's shoulder and patted it twice. "There, there."

"I was so happy. I have a successful career and earning a good amount of money. I'm at the top of my profession and highly respected among other scientists. It completed my life when I finally gotten with you. I thought that I was going to die alone and a virgin because no one looks at me twice. You're my first boyfriend and I loved how you were willing to be with me. You looked past my appearance and cared for the person I am underneath it all. It made me more than happy when you considered about being intimate."

Sheldon pulled away and sighed. "Howard and Raj told me about this man named Bert from the university."

Amy looked up to him. "What about him?"

"He truly likes you, Amy. They informed me that you turned him down because we were dating. What if you consider embarking on a relationship with Bert?"

They both lowered themselves down on the couch and then Sheldon passed Amy a tissue. She readjusted her glasses and tucked her brown hair behind her ear. "Sheldon, I started seeing Bert when you lost your memory. It was only for a few weeks and nothing more than a kiss had happened. But he wasn't you and it was easy for me to break things off with him."

Amy bowed her head slightly, embarrassed that her last statement made her sound like she moved on quickly. Sheldon waited before he leaned to his right and reached for the phone. He slid it into Amy's hand and she looked to him surprisingly. "What is this?"

"I want you to call up Bert and just chat with him. Amy, I still value your happiness and I think Bert will give that to you."

"But Sheldon I want to be with you. I can't just give up on us and forget what we have."

Sheldon smiled sadly. "I understand that, but we do not deserve a relationship that is only one sided. You certainly deserve more than a kiss per year. Bert is a more suitable man for you. He will give you what I can't. Amy, I believe you will be happier with him and you won't regret it. Since you've met me, how many times was I wrong?"

"A few actually," Amy chuckled and Sheldon playfully glared at her.

"There is a little chance I am wrong, but how can we know if you don't try?"

Amy clutched the phone in her hands. "So, this is it? No more regularly scheduled date nights?"

"No more, but your presence is always welcomed in our apartment."

She smiled at him before dialing Bert's number. At the same time, Sheldon picked up the document and took a ballpoint pen out of his messenger bag. He signed his name, and handed over to Amy, who then signed it as well. "There we go. We are no longer a couple, but merely friends."

"Sheldon, I wish the best of luck for you and Penny," Amy said before pressing the call button on the phone and waited for Bert to answer.

"And I, too, for you and Bert."

Sheldon stood up one more time with his things and walked towards the front door of the apartment. Not turning back, Sheldon heard Amy saying hello and apologizing to Bert. She sounded excited a couple seconds later and he beamed.

This was for the best, and looking behind him and seeing Amy happy while on the phone, he knew that this was the right choice.

"Dr. Cooper, may I have a word?"

Sheldon nodded and closed his laptop before gesturing President Siebert to sit on one of the seats in front of him.

He returned to work soon after coming home in order to refocus on the upcoming scientific breakthrough that he was going to make. All he needed to do was run some simulations at the lab and he would have enough conclusive data for the theory he was attempting to prove. He estimated that it may take up to one to three months to wrap things up, but he knew his Nobel Prize was right around the corner.

"How may I help you?" Sheldon asked.

"The gala fundraiser being held this week is on Friday night. I'm just reminding you that your attendance is mandatory and that I expect to see you there," President Siebert replied in a serious tone. "Most of our donors would want to discuss with you about your future endeavors. May I remind you that funding for your experiments and others, Dr. Cooper, come from these people. We need you to give the university a good impression so that the staff here can get all the lasers and supercomputers they want."

Sheldon loathed the annual fundraisers. He disliked the handshaking and schmoozing up to the wealthy benefactors. But he had to put up with them in order to raise enough money to purchase new equipment and only occur every six months. Sheldon also knew that there was no way to avoid them since he's always forced to go.

He made a mental note to open up a box filled with hand sanitizers and take a new bottle. "I'll be there. No need to worry or manipulate me into attending."

President Siebert got up from the seat and headed to the door. Before leaving, he turned his head around to speak with Sheldon one more time. "And Dr. Cooper, you may want to find a date if you don't want the women there flirting with you. There's going to be some music and fresh food. It's just a suggestion."

"Understood," Sheldon said and watched as the door to his office close.

He was planning on asking Penny to join him for dinner that Friday. He wanted to take her to a paintball tournament but realized that it wouldn't be the best idea for a first date even though they both enjoyed partaking at such event. He settled for a simple yet lovely dinner instead of a loud and rambunctious one.

Then he suddenly recalled himself telling Penny about the fundraiser and how her response was that she would be interested in going with him. Saving the dinner at Golden Dragon for a later date, Sheldon pulled out a phone and sent a text message to Penny.

Is your presence available this Friday evening?

Sheldon put his phone away when he noticed that Penny's shift at the restaurant had started. He was surprised when his phone vibrated and she replied back almost immediately.

Sure! What do you have planned?

He typed out a response after reading her text. I need a date for a fundraiser here at the university. Are you interested in attending with me?

Of course. Give me the time and I'll pick you up.

Sheldon smiled and wondered if it could be considered as a first date. Whether it was or it wasn't, he didn't care as much. Penny was going with him and he was content with that. Picking up a pen, he wrote himself a reminder for tomorrow afternoon. Find an appropriate tuxedo.

And with that, Sheldon resumed his work.

A/N:

The Shamy breakup was supposed to be more dramatic and Amy would be furious rather than civil, but I want to end this fanfic with the characters on happy terms with each other.

There are also only two more chapters left and I'm currently working on the last one.

Again, thank you for all of the reads and reviews! You honestly make my day!